Door trimming for vehicles

ABSTRACT

Door trim for vehicles, applicable to assembled units consisting of at least a door and a trim ( 1 ) fitted on to it, according to which the trim ( 1 ) features a concave area ( 8 ) which forms a dry area that is accessible mainly from the visible side of the trim and in which are housed, at the very least, the most important parts of the motor both during the assembly phase and throughout its useful life.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is the national stage under 35 U.S.C. §371 ofinternational application PCT/ES00/00064, filed Feb. 23, 2000 whichdesignated the United States, and which application was not published inthe English language.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention concerns a door trim for vehicles which is fitted to thedoor of the motor vehicle and which incorporates the window windermotor.

PRIOR ART

In traditional systems, the window winder motor and other doorcomponents are fastened directly onto the inner covering of the doorshell, i.e. they are bolted directly onto the steel sheet. A trim ordecorative covering—what the user will see inside the vehicle—is thenfitted over the unit.

The current trend is for modular solutions. These solutions arecharacterised by the fact that the window winder motor is fastenedbeforehand to a single part or module, which is then bolted to the doorafter being fitted on. This part also acts as a trim and can be termedas such.

Traditional door shells are exposed to incoming moisture and dirt and,logically, form a damp area. In order to prevent water and dust fromgetting inside the vehicle, various dust-tight and watertight systemsare employed, such as the forming of holes on the unit to enable waterto escape or the positioning of insulating material around the perimeterof the trim (thus forming a dry area between the steel sheet or theinner cover of the door shell and the trim). The dust-tight andwatertight systems do not prevent, however, the window winder motor andother elements housed in the door shell from becoming exposed to a dampatmosphere and, as a result, from coming into contact with water.

There are modular systems in which, however, the window winder motor andother elements can be housed in the dry area, more precisely in the areabetween the inner covering of the door and the trim bolted to it(featuring the necessary insulating material, as in the previousexample). The elements are arranged as follows: the motor, all theelectronic components and the gear-motor system are housed in this dryarea whereas the drum from which the window winder mechanism cables runand the drum cover are located in the damp area formed by the doorshell. Logically, the holes linking the elements in both areas must beproperly insulated.

There are a number of drawbacks associated with these solutions. Firstof all, the trim must be taken off in order to gain access to the motor.Secondly, a number of elements are required to make the unit dust-tightand watertight. Thirdly, the various elements on the module must beassembled in a number of operations beforehand.

OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to provide a trim bearing the windowwinder motor in a dry area and which needs only a minimum number ofrequirements to protect it against moisture, reducing costs in theprocess.

Another object of this invention is to provide a trim which already hasthe window winder mechanism system fitted onto it, which would enablethese operations to be carried out easily, quickly and ergonomically.

Another object of this invention is the fact that all the operations forthe assembly of components on the trim can be removed from thevehicle-door assembly line, thereby saving the manufacturer time andspace.

Another object of this invention is to make the motor dust-tight andwatertight using only a very few elements in order to create a lighterand more economical unit.

Another object of this invention is to make the motor accessible withouthaving to remove the trim completely, thereby making it easier toresolve problems in the event of the window becoming stuck at the top.

To attain these objectives, the invention claims a trim panel bearingthe window winder motor, both during the fitting of the window windermechanism unit onto the door and throughout its operating life. Themotor is connected to the trim panel during the assembly phase and canbe fastened either to the trim panel only or to the steel sheet throughsaid trim panel.

According to the invention, this trim panel ensures that the motor ishoused in the dry area with it being incorporated, regardless of how itis fastened, on the visible side or exterior of the trim panel. Toachieve this, at least one part of this trim panel has been designed toconceal the motor, thereby ensuring that this part can easily bedismantled to provide access to the motor if the window winder mechanismmalfunctions.

The door trim panel, regardless of the material it is made of, featuresa concave area on its visible side which is designed to house thevehicle's window winder motor specifically and the gear-motor system andelectronic components at the very least. This concave area must beshaped in such a way that it can also house the connector linking themotor's electronic box to the wiring on the door.

The wiring runs from the non-visible side of the trim to the visibleside through the concave area housing the motor and passes through ahole made in the trim itself, which is why bushing or a similar systemguaranteeing the unit remains dust-tight and watertight is used.

The concave area forms a dry area in itself which completely insulatesthe elements it houses.

At the same time, the trim panel according to the invention featuresanother portion situated on the outer side, i.e. the side visible fromthe inside of the passenger compartment of the vehicle, located abovethe concave area and concealing the elements housed inside it. Thissecond portion of the trim panel is easy to close and open, as will bedemonstrated later.

By this invention two practical solutions are envisaged and claimed,namely:

A) One, the aforementioned solution, according to which the gear-motorunit, its electronic components and the connector are housed inside thedry area formed by the concave area on the trim panel.

B) The other solution, according to which all the components of thewindow winder motor, including the connector linking the motor'selectronic box to the wiring on the door are housed in the concave areaon the trim panel.

In solution A the concave area comprises the gear-motor unit and itselectronic components as well as the connector. The wiring for the motorpasses through a hole featuring dust-tight and watertight bushing formedin the thickness of the trim panel to the interior of the concave area.

The drum holding the cable for the window winder mechanism is positionedon the non-visible side of the trim panel, outside the concave area andprojecting towards the damp area. The interconnection is made through ahole in the thickness of the trim panel in the concave area, with thehole being made dust-tight and watertight by a gasket fitted on themotor itself as part of a manufacturing solution that is already on themarket.

The other holes formed in the concave area allow the bolts connectingthe drum cover to the rest of the motor and the whole of the system tothe door trim panel or panel and steel sheet to pass through, with allthese holes having been designed to be dust-tight and watertight.

The drum and its cover feature, logically, the outlets for the windowwinder mechanism cables.

In solution B, the concave area houses the window winder motor with allits components, with all these components situated, therefore, in thedry area.

As the drum holding the cables is on the visible side of the trim andthe cables are on the unseen side, the concave area in this solutionfeatures a lateral aperture on one of its sides. The entire motor passesthrough this aperture to the outer side of the trim panel, leaving therest of the window winder mechanism it is connected to on the otherside.

In order to ensure the concave area is dust-tight and watertight, thislateral aperture must remain closed during the useful life of the unit,with only a few dust-tight and watertight holes being left for theoutlets on the drum cover. The function of these holes is to guide thesecables to the rest of the window winder system.

Two different means of closing off the unit in this way have beenconsidered. One of them is based on a gasket and the other on amanufacturing solution. In this last version a projection on anotherpart of the trim panel, such as the one concealing the concave area onthe outside and the elements situated on the interior, can be providedin order to cover the open lateral.

This solution, B, has an additional advantage over solution A: thewindow winder mechanism can be adjusted before being fitted onto thetrim panel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The plans attached show practical applications of the invention, detailsof which are provided below:

FIG. 1 is a partial elevation of the visible side of the trim panel withthe closed cover concealing the concave area.

FIG. 2 shows the partial elevation of FIG. 1 without the cover.

FIG. 3 is a view of the visible side of the trim panel with the coverhalf open.

FIG. 4 is a view of the non-visible side of the trim panel.

FIG. 5 is a view of the cross section along the I—I line in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is an elevation of the visible side of the trim panel, withoutthe cover, in the other variation of the invention.

FIG. 7 is a view of the non-visible side of the trim panel shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 8 is another view of the non-visible side of the trim panel shownin FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a view of the visible side of the trim panel shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 10 is a similar view to that of FIG. 9 with the cover half open.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S) OF THE INVENTION

In FIG. 1 we can see the trim panel (1) on its visible side (2) and thecover (3) concealing the concave area of the part. This is how the trimpanel exterior appears from the inside of the vehicle passengercompartment.

When the cover is moved out of position, as shown in FIG. 2, the concavearea (8) can be seen on the visible side (2), inside which can be seenthe motor (4), the electronic box (5), and the gear-motor system (6)with the fastening points (7). To the right of the electronic box (5)there is a connector (18) to which the power cables will be connected.

In FIG. 3, the cover (3) of the trim panel (1) is shown half open,rotating on the visible side (2) of the trim panel (1).

The inner or non-visible side (11) of the trim panel is shown in FIG. 4with the concave area (8) receiving the aforementioned elements seenfrom the other side. This is a view of the damp area. This figure showsthe drum cover (10) and the outlet (9) receiving the cables for thewindow winder mechanism as well as the hole (12) allowing the entry ofthe electrical cables running to the connector housed inside the concavearea (8).

With the invention being detailed in FIGS. 1 to 4, according to whichsome of the components are located in the damp area of the assembledunit, FIG. 5 details one way of assembling it.

This figure shows the dry area (14) and the damp area (15) of the unit.The trim panel (1) is seen on its visible side (2) and its cover (3) isshown facing the dry area (14) and its non-visible side (11) is shownfacing the damp area (15).

The concave area (8) is formed from the visible side (2) of the trimpanel (1) and is closed and concealed on the exterior (the inside of thevehicle) by the cover (3). It houses the following elements: in the dryarea—the gear-motor unit (4, 6) and the electronic box (5); in the damparea—the drum (13) and the drum cover (10).

The drum cover (10) is fastened to the bottom of the concave area (8) bydust-tight and watertight holes or fastening points (7). The shaft (17)of gear-motor unit (4, 6) passes through the trim and is made dust-tightand watertight by a gasket on the motor itself.

FIG. 6 details a variation of the invention, according to which themotor and all its components are located inside the concave area (8),which opens out on the visible side (2). FIG. 6 also shows the lateralaperture (16) formed on the concave area itself to house the unit.

The views of the non-visible side (11) in FIGS. 7 and 8 enable thelateral aperture (16) in the concave area (8) to be viewed in greaterdetail. The function of this lateral aperture is to allow the wiringrunning from the connector and the drum to enter and to enable thewindow winder mechanism to be adjusted before the trim panel (1) isfitted on.

The view of the visible side (2) in FIG. 9 clearly shows the lateralaperture (16) formed in the concave area (8).

Finally, FIG. 10 details how the cover (3) conceals all the elements.

Cover (19) closes the lateral aperture (16) in the concave area (8). Thecover (19) can be similar to the cover (3) or can consist of adust-tight and watertight gasket to conceal the aperture, as mentionedabove.

What is claimed is:
 1. A trim panel adapted to engage at least one doorof a vehicle, the trim panel being visible to an occupant inside apassenger compartment of the vehicle, and forming a barrier between adry area (14) towards an interior of the vehicle and a damp area (15)towards an exterior of the vehicle, the trim panel (1) comprising: adust-tight and watertight concave area (8) housing at least a gear-motorunit (4, 6), an electronic box (5) for the gear-motor unit (4, 6) and anelectrical connector (18) for power cables; wherein when the trim panelis fitted to the vehicle door the opening to the concave area (8) opensto an inside of the passenger compartment to provide a dry area afterthe gear-motor unit (4, 6), the electronic box (5) and the connectorhave been engaged in the concave area; and a cover (3) having an arealess than that of the trim panel covering the opening to the concavearea to conceal contents therein, the cover (3) also visible theoccupant inside the passenger compartment.
 2. The door trim panel inaccordance with claim 1, wherein a coiling drum (13) for a window windermechanism cable and a drum cover (10) of the gear-motor unit are locatedin the damp area adjacent to a non-visible side (11) of the trim panel,the trim panel having dust-tight and watertight holes to enable boltssecuring the drum cover (10) and a shaft (17) of the gear-motor unit topass through as well as the power cables leading to the connector. 3.The door trim panel in accordance with claim 2, wherein the drum cover(10) of the gear-motor unit has outlets (9) for the window windermechanism cable.
 4. The door trim panel in accordance with claim 1,wherein an area of the opening to the concave area is less than that ofthe trim panel.
 5. A trim panel adapted to engage at least one door of avehicle the trim panel being visible to an occupant inside a passengercompartment of the vehicle and forming a barrier between a dry area (14)towards an interior of the vehicle and a damp area (15) towards anexterior of the vehicle, the trim panel (1) comprising: a dust-tight andwatertight concave area (8) housing a window winder motor unit, agear-motor unit (4, 6), an electronic box (5) for the gear-motor unit(4, 6), an electrical connector (18) for power cables, a coiling drum(13) and a drum cover (10), a surface of the concave area (8) having alateral aperture (16); wherein the trim panel is fitted to the vehicledoor so that the opening to the concave area (8) opens to an inside ofthe passenger compartment to provide a dry area after the window windermotor unit, the gear-motor unit (4, 6), the electronic box (5) theelectrical connector the cooling drum and the drum cover have beenengaged in the concave area; and a cover (3) having an area less thanthat of the trim panel covering the opening to the concave area toconceal contents therein, the cover also being visible to the occupantinside the passenger compartment.
 6. The door trim panel in accordancewith claim 5, wherein the lateral aperture (16) enables the windowwinder mechanism to be adjusted before being fitted on.
 7. The door trimpanel in accordance with claim 5, wherein dust-tight and watertightholes allowing the passage of the electrical and drive cables and theelements securing the unit to the trim panel are formed in the concavearea (8) and in a cover (19) of the lateral aperture (16).
 8. The doortrim panel in accordance with claim 5, wherein the lateral aperture (16)of the trim is sealed with a gasket.
 9. The door trim panel inaccordance with claim 5, wherein the lateral aperture (16) of the trimis sealed with a section of panel (19) similar to that concealing theunit on the outside.
 10. The door trim panel in accordance with claim 5,wherein an area of the opening to the concave area is less than that ofthe trim panel.